Is the Amico dead?

[MrBeefy]

2 hours ago, youxia said:

I remember seeing that exchange back then and thinking "This is unbelievable" (also seem to recall that even more nasty stuff followed later). Telling me on one occasion that stuff I quoted directly from their videos is "misinformation" was quite insane, but then I'm a nobody, just another random hater, so no big harm done.

 

But pissing off people such as @kevtris, people who actually are in the business, released succesful products, know what they are talking about, and carry some weight, was on another level of WTFery. And TT did a lot of this kind of bridge burning, like threatening that Ars journo with legalese or insulting the entire Nintendo operation. This kind of stuff creates very bad impressions in the more serious circles, the ones he sought money from,  and might just be one of the reasons why Intellivision Amico are now a bunch of no-friends lame ducks, who're just sitting there and twiddle their thumbs nervously waiting for a miracle.

I always thought someone equated, burning a music CD while jumping around air guitaring believing your are a rock star to hardware manufacturing.

 

For those still wondering if does equate, it doesn't.

 

Well @kevtris post pretty much is the reason why Tommy didn't like you. You know too much about how the sausage is made, so he couldn't manipulate you into believing what he says. ?

[MrBeefy]

4 minutes ago, mr_me said:

No he said it would be considersbly more expensive but it's only a few thousand units, and overall would be negligible.  The benefit is to go through the pre-production process locally, so company engineers can work with the manufacturer more efficiently.  Once the process is finalised, it can be duplicated in China.  There are manufacturers that have facilities in both the US and China.

 

What is it that you don't believe?  That they switched strategies or the two source strategy would work.  They haven't committed to manufacturing yet so maybe they can't make it work but that doesn't mean it's not what they are working on.

 

We know they weren't ready for 2020 that's why it was delayed.

 

Even if they do 10k in their first run it would be considered a soft launch, as their initial plan was to produce 10x that amount (as your exchange with the CEO indicated).  Their filing mentions initial production capacity of 2000 to 5000 units per months and expanding that later in the year, I'm thinking less than 5k for the initial run soft launch is what they had in mind.

I think you need to read the entire post. ?

[mr_me]

I did read it.  And like I said there are manufacturers that have facilities in both North America and Asia.  The one named in the Fundable page, Calcomp, does.  But like I said we don't know if they've committed to anything. They said they need to figure out both sides before going ahead. There's no point producing a few thousand units at a loss if they don't scale up later.

 

The former CEO was not heading up manufacturing.  They have engineers and the CFO is figuring out finances.

Edited April 8, 2022 by mr_me

[Morpheus]

3 hours ago, kevtris said:

When I voiced my concerns in early 2020 that he was not going to have enough time to manufacture, he said I didn't know what I was talking about.

I am no one to judge anyone else, so I’m not judging TT with this post.
 

I remember, around one year ago, an answer extremely aggressive and unpolite by TT to someone that was just criticizing, in a very respectful, objective and polite way, some aspects of the Amico project.

 

I guess that at that time TT was already under big pressure, but I was truly suprised by such an answer, so aggressive that normally would have been banned by AA moderators, by a CEO of a B2C company…

 

Was it you that got that answer?

 

[atarifan88]

I will admit, I was on board with the Amico from day one.  I had been out of modern gaming since the Sega Genesis.  I was a Nintendo hater because back in 1985ish or so when they took over for Atari I was in denial and refused to buy an NES.  I just kept playing my Atari and Intellivision up until about 1990.  At one point I bought an SNES, but for the games I like playing (EA sports) I thought the Genesis was superior to it.  So I traded in my SNES.  I played my Genesis until it broke and that was it for me.  For the remainder of the time I would play retro games on raspberry Pi's, flashback units, and emulation.

 

Fast forward to 2018 when the Amico was announced.  All they were doing caught my interest.  I missed out on the Wii, with the exception of playing at my brother's house.  Honestly, there were not too many games I was interested in to get a Wii.  When I heard the Amico was going to try to fill the void the Wii left, I thought this is my chance to get back into modern gaming, while playing games I love.  The idea of playing classic games that were modernized sounded like the right system for me.  Everything IE talked about had my interest.  Then all of this began to fall apart as it became obvious they were not going to deliver anytime soon if at all.  My interest was fading again.

 

This got me looking at the Switch and after finding 25+ games I was interested in right off the bat, I was getting excited again.  To find out that they have some motion controlled games and the fact that the Wii Sports type games will be coming out for the system later this month gave me hope there is still a system out there for me.  Not only that, but it made me question IE's claim that there is a gap left by the Wii.  Really?!  Based on what I've seen, the Switch has bridged that gap and continues to advance past it.  Why would IE claim there was a gaming gap left by the Wii if the Switch does what the Wii did and more?  Is it because they claimed they were not competing with the Switch and therefore ignored all Nintendo was doing?  Or were these just plain lies they wanted us retro gamers to buy into?  I'll admit I had been wearing rose colored glasses since the announcement of the Amico, but now that things are coming back to bite them, I'm glad I took the time to research other systems.  It makes me wonder about all the other "facts" we were spoon fed.  I'm thinking if one looks hard enough, there will be more holes in those "facts" than a piece of swiss cheese!

[Rev]

Anyone remember this video where it takes just a couple minutes to assemble the Amico?    

 

 

 

 

Edited April 8, 2022 by Rev

[Razzie.P]

Please be patient and know that your post is important to us.  Someone will be along shortly to refute your statements and concerns in the order were received.

[Rev]

@kevtris based on your expert experience, how feasible is it that small batches of Amico can be ‘hand built’ in a smaller assembly area, not your typical manufacture like Ark or a Chinese factory?     
 

Can you expand more on this?

 

 

Edited April 8, 2022 by Rev

[Rev]

5 minutes ago, Razzie.P said:

Please be patient and know that your post is important to us.  Someone will be along shortly to refute your statements and concerns in the order were received.

Fixed for ya…
 

Please be patient and know that your post is important to us.  Someone will be along shortly to ATTEMPT TO refute your statements and concerns in the order were received.

 

 

[mr_me]

29 minutes ago, Rev said:

@kevtris based on your expert experience, how feasible is it that small batches of Amico can be ‘hand built’ in a smaller assembly area, not your typical manufacture like Ark or a Chinese factory?     
 

Can you expand more on this?

 

 

Nobody said anything about hand built, although there could be a manual component to production.  The automated procedures would transfer to their Chinese facility. (It's the same manufacturer so they would know what they can or can't do.). The volume they are talking about is hundreds per day locally vs thousands per day in Asia.

Edited April 8, 2022 by mr_me

[bojay1997]

34 minutes ago, mr_me said:

Nobody said anything about hand built, although there could be a manual component to production.  The automated procedures would transfer to their Chinese facility. (It's the same manufacturer so they would know what they can or can't do.). The volume they are talking about is hundreds per day locally vs thousands per day in Asia.

Can you please stop?  You're now just being a contrarian to be a contrarian and you're literally doing the same thing that Tommy was doing to people who have expertise you simply don't have.  

[Rev]

36 minutes ago, mr_me said:

Nobody said anything about hand built, although there could be a manual component to production.  The automated procedures would transfer to their Chinese facility. (It's the same manufacturer so they would know what they can or can't do.). The volume they are talking about is hundreds per day locally vs thousands per day in Asia.

 

 

36 minutes ago, mr_me said:

Nobody said anything about hand built, although there could be a manual component to production.  The automated procedures would transfer to their Chinese facility. (It's the same manufacturer so they would know what they can or can't do.). The volume they are talking about is hundreds per day locally vs thousands per day in Asia.

When I put ‘hand built’ in quotations, I should of expounded more on what i meant.   As opposed to having a small amount of people literally standing at a table with a screwdriver, like in the previous video, more like a ‘makeshift’ small assembly line, somewhat automated. 
 

Of course, no matter what people say, there is always a counter point, or a contrary point.  I could easily do it to my own comments. 
 

Mr Me like playing the role of a contrarian, or devils advocate. I will commend him for not name calling, cursing, or personal attacks. Unlike previous people that used to post here.   Keep up the good work Mr Me, without you, it would be a circle jerk in here.
 

And thats sad, because this is an Intellivision forum and From what I can tell, Amico is losing support from what was supposed to be the base supporters, people exactly like me. Life long Intellivision fan, nuclear family with kids, modern and retro gaming fan, a consumer of tons of games and systems.   But if Amico does manage to actually release one day, Ill purchase several systems. 

[Rev]

Somewhat of a subject change. Im looking for videos on video game console assembly lines to see what it actually looks like.  Came across this.  Very cool! 
 

You can see what Kevtris was talking about people needing to be trained for their job in the line of manufacture. 
 

Ms Pac Man cabinets being made. ?
 

 

Here is a chinese factory making 360 controllers.

 

 

Seems like a mix of hand built and assembly line. 

 

Edited April 8, 2022 by Rev

[number6]

@Rev

 

Somewhat on topic since this one was released today, as most of you already know.

 

 

#6

[Rev]

8 minutes ago, number6 said:

@Rev

 

Somewhat on topic since this one was released today, as most of you already know.

 

 

#6

Pretty cool, this is also on my radar. 

[number6]

@Rev

 

So as not to derail the Intellivision thread, you might wish to read/discuss/ask questions in the dedicated thread on the topic

 

It serves as an example of what a "smaller" company has been able to accomplish facing similar obstacles during troubled times.

 

#6

[Rev]

3 minutes ago, number6 said:

@Rev

 

So as not to derail the Intellivision thread, you might wish to read/discuss/ask questions in the dedicated thread on the topic

 

It serves as an example of what a "smaller" company has been able to accomplish facing similar obstacles during troubled times.

 

#6

Im sure its fine. Most Intellivision threads get derailed. ???

Edited April 8, 2022 by Rev

[SiberianSpForces]

Is the price point still over $300?

[mr_me]

1 hour ago, bojay1997 said:

Can you please stop?  You're now just being a contrarian to be a contrarian and you're literally doing the same thing that Tommy was doing to people who have expertise you simply don't have.  

The CFO talks with the manufacturers and has engineers on staff.  My expertise has nothing to do with it.  A manufacturer that has facilities on both sides of the sea can share knowledge, tools, and even staff.  That's different than contracting two different manufacturers.  I don't see anything conflicting with what's been said.

[roadrunner]

Amico article a few months old

last updated JAN. 24, 2022 1:12 PM EDT

 

Intellivision Amico - What We Know So Far

https://www.looper.com/482697/intellivision-amico-release-date-games-list-specs-pre-order-info/

[SteveTheColecoDude]

12 hours ago, MrBeefy said:

I heard he had a friend on who harassed a female guest because she was neutral and didn't just love Amico. She ended up having a panic attack on air because of i

 

Yes that was Relic Gamer (who is a member here and posted lots in the original Amico threads). He claims to be a "friend" of Tommy. The day after that stream happened and he made that woman have a panic attack, he received a bit of backlash, but claimed he was "glad that it happened".

[MrBeefy]

12 minutes ago, atarifan88 said:

I will admit, I was on board with the Amico from day one.  I had been out of modern gaming since the Sega Genesis.  I was a Nintendo hater because back in 1985ish or so when they took over for Atari I was in denial and refused to buy an NES.  I just kept playing my Atari and Intellivision up until about 1990.  At one point I bought an SNES, but for the games I like playing (EA sports) I thought the Genesis was superior to it.  So I traded in my SNES.  I played my Genesis until it broke and that was it for me.  For the remainder of the time I would play retro games on raspberry Pi's, flashback units, and emulation.

 

Fast forward to 2018 when the Amico was announced.  All they were doing caught my interest.  I missed out on the Wii, with the exception of playing at my brother's house.  Honestly, there were not too many games I was interested in to get a Wii.  When I heard the Amico was going to try to fill the void the Wii left, I thought this is my chance to get back into modern gaming, while playing games I love.  The idea of playing classic games that were modernized sounded like the right system for me.  Everything IE talked about had my interest.  Then all of this began to fall apart as it became obvious they were not going to deliver anytime soon if at all.  My interest was fading again.

 

This got me looking at the Switch and after finding 25+ games I was interested in right off the bat, I was getting excited again.  To find out that they have some motion controlled games and the fact that the Wii Sports type games will be coming out for the system later this month gave me hope there is still a system out there for me.  Not only that, but it made me question IE's claim that there is a gap left by the Wii.  Really?!  Based on what I've seen, the Switch has bridged that gap and continues to advance past it.  Why would IE claim there was a gaming gap left by the Wii if the Switch does what the Wii did and more?  Is it because they claimed they were not competing with the Switch and therefore ignored all Nintendo was doing?  Or were these just plain lies they wanted us retro gamers to buy into?  I'll admit I had been wearing rose colored glasses since the announcement of the Amico, but now that things are coming back to bite them, I'm glad I took the time to research other systems.  It makes me wonder about all the other "facts" we were spoon fed.  I'm thinking if one looks hard enough, there will be more holes in those "facts" than a piece of swiss cheese!

Man you have missed out on a lot of great gaming!

 

There is no gap/hole left by the Wii. There are more gaming options now than ever before. The talking points he presented really comes from like the 90s. People questioning the console was not because they hate options or don't like families.

 

If the console stayed sub $200 it could have tried to carve out a niche for like kids first console. I still think some of the software is lacking there but whatever let's run with it. Sub $200 or above $200 does not negate that the Switch does all of what Amico wants to do and more. Once the price rose to Switch prices then the question really is why does this exist and where does it plan to be? The Switch at the same price is a family friendly console. That means really the only appeal is the old IPs. Once you remove the nostalgia it doesn't make much sense. I think it's only real shot was around $150 and no higher than $180. If you wanted to target non gamers or whatever they needed to keep it in impulse buy territory.

 

There totally are holes in the facts he presented here through articles. His talk of how Switch is bad was to rally troops about the "good ole days". It is also to distract from how the product can't speak for itself. Couch co-op hasn't gone away. I've had a console from every generation I believe and my family has somehow managed to have couch game nights.

 

I do hope you enjoy your Switch. It reinvigorated my love for gaming. Their first party games are always top notch and the indies have a bunch to offer. Some of the more retro budget games I like are Ding Dong XL and Super Bit Blaster XL.

 

 

[MrBeefy]

30 minutes ago, SiberianSpForces said:

Is the price point still over $300?

If they make retail, the price will go up. That is from the current CEO. So I'd say 300-350 since they are supposedly going to lose money by selling them 250-300.

[MrBeefy]

31 minutes ago, mr_me said:

The CFO talks with the manufacturers and has engineers on staff.  My expertise has nothing to do with it.  A manufacturer that has facilities on both sides of the sea can share knowledge, tools, and even staff.  That's different than contracting two different manufacturers.  I don't see anything conflicting with what's been said.

So are they going to share Tommy around so he can sign all the consoles?

 

[atarifan88]

8 minutes ago, MrBeefy said:

Man you have missed out on a lot of great gaming!

 

There is no gap/hole left by the Wii. There are more gaming options now than ever before. The talking points he presented really comes from like the 90s. People questioning the console was not because they hate options or don't like families.

 

If the console stayed sub $200 it could have tried to carve out a niche for like kids first console. I still think some of the software is lacking there but whatever let's run with it. Sub $200 or above $200 does not negate that the Switch does all of what Amico wants to do and more. Once the price rose to Switch prices then the question really is why does this exist and where does it plan to be? The Switch at the same price is a family friendly console. That means really the only appeal is the old IPs. Once you remove the nostalgia it doesn't make much sense. I think it's only real shot was around $150 and no higher than $180. If you wanted to target non gamers or whatever they needed to keep it in impulse buy territory.

 

There totally are holes in the facts he presented here through articles. His talk of how Switch is bad was to rally troops about the "good ole days". It is also to distract from how the product can't speak for itself. Couch co-op hasn't gone away. I've had a console from every generation I believe and my family has somehow managed to have couch game nights.

 

I do hope you enjoy your Switch. It reinvigorated my love for gaming. Their first party games are always top notch and the indies have a bunch to offer. Some of the more retro budget games I like are Ding Dong XL and Super Bit Blaster XL.

 

 

Thanks for your comments.  They are of much help to me.  I spoke to my son who is now married and moved away about buying a modern gaming system.  I think it shocked him since he owns the PS2 & 3 & the XBox.  We had good times playing together when he was growing up.  I introduced him to Doom then he returned the favor and introduced me to Star Wars Battle Front!  Looking at the Switch library it looks like the closest I'll get to that is Star Wars Republic Commando.  It looks like a fun shooter.  Anyways, just to have a family console with games on it that I don't have will be a plus and a reason to get a new system.  I'm done waiting for the Amico...